About Us

Our Story...

WHERE THE COMMUNITY CONVENES TO EXPERIENCE THE EVOLVING HUMAN STORY.

In 2009, founder Randall Stuart assembled a group of colleagues and friends, and proposed the idea of establishing a "sanctuary for the humanities" while working towards acquiring a building to house the various activities of this vibrant community of thinkers. Two key inspirations emerged: the model of the turn-of-the-last-century Circuit Chautauqua community & educational programming, as well as Manhattan's 92nd Street Y. And so, the focus at Cerimon House would be on events that were peaceful, educational, entertaining, and transformational. In 2013 the organization acquired a shuttered historic neighborhood lodge in the heart of the NE Alberta Arts District of Portland, Oregon, and spent a year restoring and renovating the 92 year old building to its former glory.

Cerimon House re-opened in late 2015 with aWest Coast premiere art exhibit featuring 52 original pen & inks of the great American illustrator & wit Charles Addams. The building is now a-buzz with diverse and innovative programming, and is indeed a cultural center where people connect through the arts, education, exploration, and celebration - and all within an inclusive, culturally-plural, nonviolent convening space. Cerimon House curates conversations among a wide range of citizens, to deepen understanding and engage the hearts and minds of those in attendance.

Our ongoing programming: COMMUNITY...gatherings that focus on the healthy civic life of the population. CREATIVITY...the cultural arts brought to a vivid life in performance, song, word, dance, and craft. CURIOSITY...educational classes, workshops, and conferences for students of all ages. CEREMONY...various & unique celebrations in a place of inclusivity and kindness.

And each month, the community is invited to participate in one of our most popular signature activities: the The Creative Path Walks, featuring a 33 foot square indoor labyrinth. [Learn more about our Labyrinth programming here.]

WHERE DOES THE NAME "CERIMON" (PRONOUNCED "SÉRRA-MON") COME FROM?

We are named after a character in an ancient Phoenician story (also borrowed by none other than Wm. Shakespeare for his play Pericles, Prince of Tyre,) in which the kind and wise citizen Cerimon of Ephesus, is responsible for saving the life of a seriously lost traveler: a young African queen of Cyrene named Thaisa. Likewise, we see our place in the community as being the kind of house where people can find comfort - and to be restored - through cultural and ceremonial offerings.